plexus

Check out this link to an earlier discussion about the approach: http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000419

Took advantage of the sunny weekend to nab the NW route up Kangaroo Temple. After arriving at the hairpin turn, was greeted with frigid conditions. Slipped on a verglassed rock and landed on my butt while zipping up my pants...that should have been taken as an omen. The hike up the drainage to Kangaroo Pass was gorgeous!! The larches turned gold with rays of sunlight flitering through them made the hike in seem magical. It felt strange having an autumn day in Washington feel like they did when I was a kid in the Midwest; sunny, clear and crisp. On our way up to Kangaroo Pass, the thermometer on my pack never reached 40 degrees, putting doubt that we would be climbing. Call me fairweather but leading five pitches with numb fingers didn't seem enticing. When we passed a large slab completely sheeted over with ice it became even more obvious that the rack and rope weren't going to be needed. Snow flurries remained in pockets on the talus, frost covered most things and the comfort difference between being in the sun and in the shade was gigantic. To put my mind at rest, we stopped and I bouldered around in the basin, for reasons both for fun and also to see how quickly my fingers would go numb. There are some nice problems up there, the friction was incredible and the fingers lost feeling in about 10 minutes. Case settled. So my fiancee left our packs by the trail below the pass and we continued up, to get a better look. Met a hiker coming down from the pass, claiming that it was cold and real windy at the pass. She aborted plans to head up Wallaby. The wind got stiff up to the pass, blowing probably at around 25 mph gusts. Got to the pass and was rewarded with the view. There is something about passes that please me, it's like walking through a window and seeing a different, beautiful vista from the one you had heading up on the approach. We saw the Temple and Little Finger (which we planned on nabbing since we would be up there.) The route was completely covered in shade and didn't look like it would get sun for another two hours or three (and even then, the ridge going from Copper Point to Liberty Bell could be blocking it off). Unsatisfied, we started traversing over and then heading up, I wanted a better perspective point. So up we went, over blocks and slabs. Instad of using a dirt gulley with an obvious tread on it, my fiancee and I picked the most sporting route we could find, mixing small class 5 and class 4 sections in. The scenery and coarse granite reminded me of Tuolumne Meadows, albeit the granite up ther was much more weathered and grittier and sandier. The way kept leading to platforms and up we went more, now forgetting the reason we started up and just enjoying the scramble. The best parts included a 35 foot slab with no holds, a blank wall with a lie-back crack, and a dihederal section with an unattatched block leading to an airy traverse. Finally there was no more to go up and found ourselves almost even with the summit of The Temple. Hungry and cold, as the wind blew with renewed strength the higher we climbed, we headed down. It wasn't until that night flippin through the Goespel of Beckey, Volume 3 that I discovered we headed up Wallaby. Back down towards the packs, my fiancee headed over to take some shots of the iced-over slabs. I looked down and saw two rocks moving. What those aren't rocks!! Those are !!! Half running and sliding down I scared off the little snaffles before they burrowed a hole in the packs for our PBJ and !! After eating, we headed up a little to the walls just under and west of Wallaby. There are many nice cracks criss-crossing the two main walls, although the faces inbetween are blank. The wall was in the sun so the rock warmed up a bit and I found I could climb without numb digits. I led a couple of lines, including one that was desperate hand jamming for 15 feet in a sloping crack, easily 5.9+. All in all a day worth it, even though the Temple was left sanctified, not being touched by the infidels. The hike alone with the larches is worth a trip. And adding a nice scramble, some bouldering and a couple of lead climbs in BTW, saw a marten on the hike in, the airplane wreckage on the way out, and a bear on Hwy 20 at MP 149 on the drive in. Hope everybody else enjoyed the nice weather. And stefan, hope you heal quickly!!

I've never had problems with rope twisting so much with a figure 8. It's all about knowing how to feed the rope and how its packed when not in use. Haireball, it's interesting to read what you said about the figure 8 not to be used as a belay device and only for rappel. Is there any literature available about this anywhere? And I do belay with gloves in certain situations -- such as trad lead with long runouts.

Just cruising on the Cascade Crags Web site, after Scot'gucci posted the link to it on a thread. On their custom outdoor trips page, they list among the other required equipment, belay device (no figure 8s). What's up with that? Is there something that I don't know and should retire my figure 8? When I learned to climb back in the mid 80s that's all there was, unless you want a hip belay. Nowdays I use an ATC but have my Figure 8 on a gear loop as my backup. And in certain scenarios, I like my figure 8 better (cleaner rappel) than an ATC. Being a former climbing instructor, I've learned to loath gri-gris and have seen ppl pick up bad belay hbits because of them. I've used a reverso once and am still undecided about it. But c'mon people, what have you got against a climbing institution —— the Figure 8 Next think you're going to tell me is I shouldn't pack in with me the next time.

PAGE TOP!!! There goes my virginity !!

Why anybody would want to do the schwak up and back from Blum in the same day is well beyond me !! How about tagging all of the summits of the Liberty Bell group in a day? Anybody try it? Looks like it could be possible....

For long trad routes in Mexico that is Saltillo, near Monterray. Also there is a good place down by the city of Puebla called Los Pedicos. Nice limestone cliffs, sport and trad but all single pitch climbs, on the shore of a big lake. Near Pico de Orizaba is the town of Rio Blanco. They have some limestone cliffs there with some of the most wierd tuftas I've ver seen. Plus your dollar goes a long way down there. Not as far as in years past, but you can live down there comfortably for three months with less than $2,000.

Train by carrying Capt. Caveman on your back while he's . Chase from your camp before they steal your !

• Double checking the knots, double-back and tie-in spot. I've topped out and looked down to realize that I only went through one loop in tying in. • When belaying a sport route, stay close to the base of the climb until the person gets to third bolt, this saves them from hitting the line if they fall. • tie-in belay at base of trad climbs and wear a helmet. • Never letting a newbie belay me on a lead. There ain't no way in hell!! • Never take route-descriptions at face value, especially in the mountains. (Follow the obvious gully to a short class 4 step. My ass!!!) • Always have a few beers waiting at the truck after tagging the summit and getting down safely. Never celebrate too much on top. It's getting down that'll probably kill you.

Tyrone, You might want to try an elkhair caddis fly or switch to red flatfish lure if they don't start jumping for the bait.

Hey AK, Just like you...never thought I'd want to go down there and put it off for years...but it's just too damn good ... Ran out of time to do East Buttress...need to head down there with about a month's time. Also like I could buy rum within park boundaries

Speaking with experience as being a reporter, don't believe anything in the news !!

While doing trail maintanence on Easy Pass Trail today, saw that Greybeard, Mount Hardy and NEw Morning Peak had a nice little dusting of new snow on them. Also on the drive east, Colonial Peak had a fair amount of new stuff... Not that it matters, it will all be done by Thursday

Kloke has a winter clims book.....very, very, very hard to find but has some good winter routes on it. See if you can locate one. If not, go do Mount Si.

But if ya move south, you can't get Mocha Milkshakes from Cruisin' Coffee no more...

It's all about the experience. Is the summit important, that varies depending on the climb. I never celebrate a summit until I am back at the truck, then I pop the top on a few microbrews. Ya can kill yerself getting down those things !! I went to do Frisco a couple of days ago and didn't tag the summit, why? Cause I went a different way than the ones recommended and encountered exposed Class 4 on extremely loose rock. A few hundred feet from the summit, we turned around. Was I disappointed? Not in the least. I spent a day out in a beautiful area with beautiful weather with my beautiful fiancee. On the same note, I was determined to get to the top of Liberty Bell despite getting offroute and doing Overexposure instead of the Beckey Route (don't ask, we took the wrong gully up and wound up doing mid-fifth class moves on the "approach" before making two raps down into the right one). It all depends on how much you want it. Do you want the summit or do you want to have a good experience? It's the best of both worlds when they are one and the same.

The rocks through the meadowy stuff below Wirtz Basin are slicker than grandfather snot!! Thanks for installing a new summit sex toy on top. Without a doubt my entry is somewhere down below (hopefully on that cool benchland to the east of the glacier and west of Sperry). Guess I'll ave to climb it again. I found the climbing near the dihederal to be slimy and wet a couple pitches up and downright scary (5.8ish) without a decent place for pro. I've known others that have reconfirmed my discovery. Is it better near the middle of the wall?

Actually Stefan I used to hate the French as well until I went climbing with a couple this past spring a few times. Real nice guys and were polite. And like Jens said, they climb hella-hard, leading up sketched out stuff I would be puckering TRing. I will say the one guy did have real bad BO

Coffee for the AM; suds for the PM. Good weekend, better half pulled off a surprise birthday party for me Saturday, good BBQ and friends and spirits. Spent today climbing with the old gang back together again at Mount Erie. Not the mountains but still nice to get some leads in with nice warm sunny weather while it is here. In working tonight so I can head up into the mountains tomorrow. Hope everybody else had a good weekend.

Just to give a heads up. Last Thursday on my way to White Chuck Mountain, they are replacing a culvert on the Mountain Loop Highway, about five miles from Darrington. Road is down to one lane. We had to wait for only about five minutes. On a side note, White Chuck Mountain isn't all that. Felt more like a goat looking for some plants to graze than anything else. Looks pretty from the road but is mainly a steep hike with a brief, exposed section of rock scrambling.

That was nice of them. How long did it take you from car to summit? Beckey says 6.5 hours and I have a hard time believing that.

Take time around Whatcom Pass, waste a day up there. It's worth it. This time of year, I'd bring a big-ass mosquito net, the flies can be horrible. And enjoy the cable car across the Chilliwack River...'tis fun!!

Momma and baby BEARS!! I forgot to write BEARS!! I was so excited, thinking about

Yeah, two weeks ago the Big beaver campsite was closed because of a momma and a baby in the area. And momma didn't want to go anywhere. Sounded like a job for the A-Team With their trusty special guest star Armed to the teeth with

Lizard brain, What way did you go up The Temple? We put off the climb until Tuesday cause I saw the Mounties were going to be up there and also saw the weather forecast. Instead we went and saw the movie "Signs" good but not nearly as good as "Unbreakable"